Published on: May 12, 2026
India, 12th May 2026 – Criteo (NASDAQ: CRTO), the global commerce intelligence platform, today unveiled findings from its Spark of Discovery 2026 report. Comparing consumer and brand perceptions across India, Australia and Singapore, the study finds that Indian shoppers are more emotionally responsive to impulse triggers and are more positively influenced by advertising and influencer content than other countries in the region. Additionally, Indian brands demonstrate significantly stronger conviction in discovery-led growth and return on investment.
India leads on impulse & discovery-driven commerce
Impulse purchasing in India is driven strongly by design, novelty and joy more so than in Australia and Singapore. Three-quarters (75%) of Indian consumers say joy is important when shopping online. A striking 66% say attractive design drives impulse purchases, compared to 48% in Australia and 59% in Singapore. Similarly, 45% of Indian shoppers cite novelty or limited-edition products as key triggers for impulse buying, well ahead of Australia (28%) and Singapore (33%). These findings underscore that Indian consumers are not just convenience-led, they are highly responsive to emotional and aesthetic drivers that translate directly into commerce outcomes.
The role of ads, trust builders & influencers in India
Trust builders such as customer reviews, product information, and responsive customer support play a crucial role in driving brand excitement, positive sentiment, and stronger brand connection among Indian shoppers. 65% of Indian consumers say seeing ads makes them feel positively toward a brand, compared to 46% in Australia and 40% in Singapore. Two-thirds (66%) say receiving a relevant ad at the right moment excites them. Crucially, India is the only market where influencer effectiveness aligns closely between consumers and brands. 54% of Indian consumers say influencer content excites them, closely matching the 55% of brands who believe influencers drive new users. In contrast, brands in Australia and Singapore tend to overestimate the impact of influencers compared to consumer sentiment, highlighting a clear perception gap. India stands out as the only market where consumer and brand perceptions are closely aligned, indicating a more mature and commercially effective influencer ecosystem.
Indian brands lead in confidence toward discovery-driven marketing
Brand confidence in discovery-led strategies is strongest in India. While all three markets report high overall effectiveness of discovery strategies (India and Singapore at 99%, Australia at 96%), differences emerge in the depth of conviction. In India, 95% of brands say discovery contributes to brand growth, compared to 84% in Australia. In Singapore, while overall effectiveness remains high, 36% of brands strongly agree with this statement, suggesting a more measured outlook. Similarly, 86% of Indian brands express confidence in ROI delivery, versus 75% in Australia, while just 19% of Singapore brands report being very confident, indicating a more cautious but evolving level of confidence.
Reflecting further on this, Medhavi Singh, Country Head, India, Criteo, adds, “India’s commerce ecosystem stands out as one of the most dynamic and signal-rich environments. The findings from The Spark of Discovery 2026 report position India as a benchmark market for discovery-led commerce, demonstrating how design, influencer credibility, advertising relevance, and AI-enabled intelligence come together to create meaningful consumer engagement. Indian consumers are highly responsive to experiences that are relevant, context-driven, and rooted in actual shopping behaviour, enabling brands to translate discovery into measurable business outcomes.
As AI becomes more deeply embedded in commerce strategies, the opportunity lies in moving beyond fragmented touchpoints to a more unified, intelligence-led approach—where creativity is powered by commerce data, and every interaction is optimized for outcome-based relevance. This is what will define the next phase of growth: discovery experiences that are both relevant to consumers and effective for brands.”
AI Unlocks New Paths to Discovery
Looking ahead, Indian brands are increasingly leveraging artificial intelligence to power the next phase of discovery-led commerce. Today’s consumers expect recommendations that go beyond exact matches – they seek a balance between familiarity and unexpected, yet relevant, suggestions. As a result, personalisation is evolving from ‘perfect personalisation’ to what can be described as ‘algorithmic serendipity’ – where AI helps surface products consumers may not have actively searched for but are highly likely to engage with.
According to the report, 93% of Indian brands plan to use AI to improve user experience, while 86% intend to leverage AI to remove guesswork from their strategies. This reflects a clear shift from experimentation to strategic adoption. Indian marketers are not only confident in the role of discovery today but are actively investing in intelligent, data-driven systems to scale performance sustainably. AI is rapidly emerging as a core enabler of future-ready discovery strategies.
Methodology: The Criteo Spark of Discovery study was commissioned by Criteo in partnership with VCCP Roar, with survey design, fieldwork, and data integration managed by independent research specialist Vitreous World.
The study includes quantitative surveys covering both consumer behaviour and B2B perspectives across key markets including India, Australia and Singapore. Fieldwork was conducted December 2025 – January 2026 in Australia, Singapore and India.
Read more: Criteo’s Q1 2026 Results Showcase Accelerated AI Execution
